


Bloody Pirates!

by AJMcLeod



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Don't Like Don't Read, Gen, How Do I Tag, My First Work in This Fandom, Please Don't Kill Me, Sort Of, Strong Female Characters, Tumblr Prompt, Used with permission, first time posting on ao3, some editing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-12-30 05:06:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJMcLeod/pseuds/AJMcLeod
Summary: Pirate AU in which Kai, Thorne and Wolf sail the open sea. Pirate Captain Linh Cinder give Kai an ultimatum to sacrifice a member of his crew in order to save the rest. Will he give in to her demands or resign the crew to a watery grave?Additional Author's Note: If you don't want to read about your favorite characters possibly being pirates, turn away now. Ye be warned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first time posting here on AO3, I've recently discovered this place and I love the tags. It was inspired by a writing prompt from The-Modern-Typewriter on Tumblr and has been used with permission. And there is a character death and very little romance, so there's your warning. All I ask is that my inbox not get flooded telling me how awful I am cause I don't know that my delicate soul could handle it. I started this mainly as a writing exercise for myself to see if I could do it and I wanted to share. I would love to hear from readers, cause authors need to hear that we've reached someone. All I ask is for basic human kindness. I hope y'all enjoy!

Kai had always been a rule follower. Even as a child, when his classmates acted like little terrors, he sat quietly and did as he was told. He couldn’t explain why it was so ingrained in him, it just was.

The day he disobeyed the Navy captain’s command was a momentous day indeed. The captain had been a despot from the minute the sails were unfurled, and it really shouldn’t have come as any shock when the whole crew mutinied. Something broke inside Kai that day.

That had been ages ago, and since then Kai had become a notorious pirate, Captain of the _Imperial Dream_. He would have liked to say he was as fair as a pirate could get. Mostly, they just took a percentage of goods off the ships they stopped.

Now they were under attack. Kai had heard of this particular crew. They’d quickly risen to fame among the pirate brotherhood, mostly due to the fact that the _Luna_ was manned by a crew of women. The captain, going under the name Cinder, was notorious for the peg leg and hook as well as for the precision of her attacks. She knew exactly how to cripple a ship with minimal cannon fire.

“Stand down, men.” He shouted looking for something to use as a flag of truce.

“Come again?” Carswell Thorne, Kai’s first mate, shot him a look.

“It’s the _Luna_ , Thorne. She’ll take what she wants no matter how much we fight. And I’d like to leave this encounter with my life, if you don’t mind.” Kai pulled out a spyglass and looked over at the other crew. Everyone on board was a woman, just like the rumors said. Grappling hooks descended and hit the deck with a thud.

*~*

Cinder pulled her sword from its sheath at her waist. She’d heard tales of the _Imperial Dream_ , and she wanted to see the crew for herself. According to the tales she heard, the captain would only rob the ships they caught. But then she’d seen their flag floating among the burning wreckage of an Artemesian ship. Not that she really blamed them for burning the ship and killing the crew. Levana Blackburn was the queen of that little hamlet and she’d experienced first-hand just how cruel her royal navy could be.They were responsible for the fact that she had a prosthetic hand and leg. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for her ship’s surgeon, a technically gifted individual by the name of Cress, she’d sport the peg leg and hook most pirates did when they lost a limb. She still had no idea how Cress had rigged the hand and leg to move with Cinder’s will, but she had … and it came in handy in instances like these where she boarded another ship.

She stepped onto the deck scanned the crew gathered, at least fifty men strong. Kai would ooze with authority, but so far all she saw were a rag tag collection of misfits. Her eyes caught on two men, easily two of the tallest onboard. Side by side, defiance dominated their posture.

_There he is._

“Captain.” She nodded.

“Captain Linh, I presume.” His arms remained folded across his chest.

“That’s right. I must say I’ve been looking for you for some time.” Her lips twitched into a smirk.

“Your reputation precedes you.”

“And here I thought it was because you just didn’t like me.” Cinder tapped her blade on Kai’s shoulder.

“What do you want? We don’t have cargo.” A vein in his neck thrummed.

“Perhaps she wants one of our dashing sailors.” The dark haired man next to Kai winked. Cinder scowled at him. Of course he’d think that. She’d learned early on in her career that sailors expected her to bat her eyelashes and wilt at the first sign of hardship.

“I could kill you—.”

“But you won’t.” Kai interrupted.

“Won’t I?” If there was anything Cinder despised, it was being told what she would and would not do.

“No, if the tales I’ve heard about you are true, you are not without mercy.”

“He’s right. Actually, why don’t you let us go?” The man beside Kai winked. ”We can spread the word about how we barely escaped with our lives.” His flirty expression infuriated her.

“I’ll tell you what.” A smirk played on Cinder’s lips as she poked Kai in the chest. “Choose one member of your crew to take a flogging, and I’ll spare one member for every lash they take.”

Kai’s face turned pale. “I’ll do it—”

“No, no, that wasn’t part of the deal.” Cinder’s smile broadened. “Pick someone else or I’ll kill them all.”

Kai shuddered as he cast a glance around at the men gathered around them. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. She had him. He wouldn’t be able to pick a crewman to take the fall for all of them. He turned back to her, panic in his eyes.

She raised her hand, ready to signal Scarlet to open fire.

*~*

He couldn’t do it. There was no way he could condemn one of the loyal sailors around him to be flogged to save his own skin. Captain Linh raised her hand … he was going to die with his men.

“I’ll do it.” Next to him, Thorne’s voice broke the silence.

“What are you doing?” Kai hissed.

“How disgustingly heroic of you.” She folded her arms. “Why would you volunteer?”

“Because I’m quite attached to being alive, and I’d like to stay that way. You said you’d kill us all if Kai didn’t offer someone up. So I’m offering myself.” He folded his arms over his chest, mirroring her stance.

Captain Linh narrowed her eyes before she turned to the ship at her back.

“Iko!” She barked.

“Yes Captain?” A dark skinned woman with blue braids scurried over the plank between ships. The two women conferred in hushed tones before the captain turned back to them. She bound their hands behind them.“You two and your tall friend over there follow me.”

Kai could understand why she wanted him and Thorne, but Wolf? Where was the logic in that? He moved closer to Thorne once they were on Cinder’s ship. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking exactly what I said. You wouldn’t have been able to pick anyone out to sacrifice. And I quite like being alive. Yeah this is gonna hurt like hell, but it won’t kill me.” Thorne kept his eyes on the horizon.

He shook a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, I know. You don’t think she’s gonna make Wolf use the cat, do you?” If the two men hadn’t known each other as long as they had, Kai wouldn’t have thought much of it. But this was Thorne, the set jaw and the stoic look on his face belied how worried he was.

“I don’t know, for your sake, I hope not.” He knew Thorne could handle most things thrown his way. However Ze’ev “Wolf” Kesley was 6’4” of pure muscle. He made a fantastic bo’s'n, and he usually handled doling out punishments at sea. If Captain Linh made Wolf take the cat, Thorne didn’t stand a chance.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Thorne learns that being heroic isn't always fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a slight warning, I tried not to get too graphic on this. There is some blood and gore and wound tending, if this is triggering to you, please don't read it. Leave a comment, or PM me and I'll give you a summary. Happy reading!  
> P.S. For anyone wondering between the last chapter and this one "the cat" refers to the cat of nine tails which was the go to for doling out punishment on board ships. It's also where the phrase "let the cat out of the bag" came from.

Thorne had long dreamed of being on a ship full of women. Of course in his dreams, he wasn’t on the ship with Kai or Wolf and the women weren’t set on ripping his back open either. He still didn’t know what possessed him to open his mouth. Maybe it was the way she’d threatened to kill them all if someone didn’t take the fall. Or maybe he’d been sailing with Kai too long, and the captain’s innate nobility had rubbed off on him along the way. Whatever it was, Thorne was kicking himself.  
The girl—woman—the captain talked to earlier was small, but she kicked Kai and Wolf in the backs of their knees, forcing them to kneel on the deck. “You” She pointed at Thorne. “Over there.”  
He swallowed past the lump rising in his throat. Lashed to the mast then, he had been hoping for the grate so that when he gave out he could have some dignity. He stopped next to the wooden beam trying to steady his breathing.  
“Shirt.” Iko held out her hand. “Unless you want blood on it.”  
Thorne pulled the fabric over his head. The sun warmed his skin and when he felt the spray off the ocean, he stifled a groan.  
A red-haired woman tied his hands around the mast.  
“Stars above did you have to tie them so tight?”  
She gave another tug for good measure. _Bloody pirate._  
The captain paced the deck behind him, her uneven gait a clear marker of who it was. “Scarlet, await my orders on the other ship, see how many lives our hero saves.” She trailed a finger over his shoulders.  
“Just get this over with, please?” Thorne pleaded. Long dramatic buildups got on his nerves.  
“Since you asked so nicely.” Her breath tickled his ear. She turned to the crew. “You, name.”  
“Z-Ze’ev Kesley, ma’am.”  
Stars, of course she’d get him to do it. He’d be out of commission for a while, that was for sure.  
“Ze’ev, you’ll do the honors. And mark my words if you hold back, you’ll face the cat yourself.”  
“Wait!” Kai shouted. “I’m not the captain, he is.”  
Thorne heard a grunt and a thud. “Thanks for the promotion, Kai.” He took a deep breath as Wolf made a couple of test swings. He thought he could handle it.  
He was wrong.  
*~*  
Kai hadn’t expected the _Luna’s_ diminutive first mate to pack such a punch. When Cinder put the cat o’ nine tails in Wolf’s hand, his heart just about leapt into his throat. At that moment he would have done anything to spare his friend. Thorne had always wanted his own ship, in fact they’d talked about starting their own pirate fleet, and Commodore did have a nice ring to it. In fact, Wolf had been calling Thorne “Captain” as a joke for years. But watching Cinder’s crew stand around watching as they tied Thorne to the mast was too much. Before the logical side of his brain could kick in, he blurted out that Thorne was the captain. Cinder obviously didn’t believe him. Why should she? Everyone knew he was the captain of the _Imperial Dream._  
He shouldn’t have been surprised when Iko punched him, but he was. He vaguely heard Thorne call “thanks” while Wolf swung the cat through the air.  
He had to hand it to Thorne, he lasted longer than Kai would have. He had to keep himself from heaving the remains of his breakfast all over the deck when the lash struck Thorne’s back.  
When Thorne’s knees finally gave way, Cinder crouched next to Kai. “Honestly, I’m surprised he made it that long. True to my word, I’ll spare your crew, since he took all fifty. But you three will remain here.”  
“As your prisoners?” Kai glared up at her.  
“You could join the crew. Not as officers, but we could always use a few able bodied men around.”  
“What about the rest of my crew?”  
Cinder grabbed a handful of hair and tilted his head back. “I’ve kept my word and won’t kill them. That should be satisfaction enough for you.” She stood up and turned to Iko. “Take him to the brig. Put Ze’ev in with the rest of the crew.”  
“What about him?” Iko nodded to Thorne who was slumped against the mast.  
“Have Cress see to him.”  
“Aye, Captain.” Iko hauled Kai to his feet.  
“What is she going to do with my crew?”  
Iko shrugged. “Probably set them adrift. That’s what we usually do.”  
At least that was better than killing them. It might take them a while to find land, but they had plenty of provisions as long as the weather held.  
*~*  
Cress turned at the sound of boots in the hall. At the sight of Iko helping a man barely conscious and twice her size, she went to help.  
“Bringing me more work?”  
Iko nodded.  
Cress pulled the man’s other arm around her shoulder and breathed in the scent of blood and sweat. She’d been below deck tending to one of their sick crew members when the prisoners were brought aboard. His full weight collapsed into their hold. Inside her surgery, they lay the unconscious man prone on the table. Judging from the state of his back, her work was cut out for her. The wounds were deep, much deeper than Scarlet could have inflicted.  
As Iko left, Cress sighed and gathered supplies to clean the lacerations. “What did Cinder do to you?”  
He didn’t even flinch as she cleaned the wounds. There wasn’t enough skin left to stitch closed. She would have to keep it wrapped and clean and hope for the best. However, that presented a problem. He was easily a foot taller than her. She couldn’t lift him on her own, and couldn’t risk him moving while she got help. She settled for draping a makeshift bandage over him for the time being.  
She busied herself around the small room, staying close by for when he woke up. Cress was inventorying her medicines when he groaned.  
She moved to his side and placed a hand on his arm. “Easy there.”  
His muscles bulged as he tensed. “Aces, I forgot how much that hurt.”  
“Well, it’s probably going to hurt worse before we’re done. I still need to wrap them.”  
“Let me sit up then.” He moved his arms to lift himself off the table, eliciting another groan.  
“You’re too weak. Can you lay right there until I get back? I need someone to hold you upright while I work.” Cress narrowed her eyes at him. Could she trust him?  
“If you can find Wo—Ze’ev Kesley, he’d be a good choice.”  
“I’ll see what I can do. Don’t move until I say so.”  
“Yes ma’am.” He turned his head to wink at her.  
Stars, his eyes were gorgeous. The color of the sky on a cloudless day. Cress’ breath caught in her throat. Her cheeks grew warm with a blush. She rushed out of the surgery to find help and hopefully calm herself down before she came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the scene breaks are over on the left side, I haven't figured out how to center them in HTML yet.


End file.
